Originally Posted By: turkey_killer
Originally Posted By: Matt Brock

Originally Posted By: turkey_killer
Originally Posted By: cgardner
Killed 3 in GA with my bow. I'm done with does. Not going to shoot any in AL. Haven't seen enough in the past few years to justify it. Glad to see the state back off the 2 does/days. I would like to see us go back to "Doe Days". I struggle to see deer period in AL now.


I'm glad it's not just me. I've hunted about 7 days in Alabama this season and seen 4 deer. 1 buck I killed. 3 on same day (1 doe and 2 small bucks) all got a pass. I hunted in Illinois this year for the first time. Actually expected to see deer there. Saw 30 in one day. Alabama needs to figure out what they do up there (7 gun days) and imitate it


Can not compare AL to the Midwest. They have more food up there than the deer can eat. They also have far less cover. You see deer in that habitat type because they have nowhere to hide. If a deer gets out of its bed you see it. Because there is far less available thick cover and a LOT of food, cutting deer off is as easy as putting on your pants.

Those are great points, but I've hunted places in AL where I could see 150-200 yds through thinned or mature timber and still don't see many deer. Food definitely helps but we just don't have the numbers they do. You can't see tons of deer if you don't have them no matter what the landscape. My point was 2.5 months is a lot longer than 7 days and has a real, negative, and visible effect on the population.


I see you live in Cullman. If that is the county you hunt then you have a low deer density, and some of the worst habitat in the state. Cullman will never have high numbers of deer. There are pockets of good habitat in that county, but most of it is marginal at best.